_Sapho_ to _Philænis_.
Where is that holy fire, which _Verse_ is said
To have? is that inchanting force decai'd?
_Verse_ that drawes _Natures_ workes, from _Natures_ law,
Thee, her best worke, to her worke cannot draw.
Have my teares quench'd my old _Poetique_ fire; 5
Why quench'd they not as well, that of _desire_?
Thoughts, my mindes creatures, often are with thee,
But I, their maker, want their libertie.
Onely thine image, in my heart, doth sit,
But that is waxe, and fires environ it. 10
My fires have driven, thine have drawne it hence;
And I am rob'd of _Picture_, _Heart_, and _Sense_.
Dwells with me still mine irksome _Memory_,
Which, both to keepe, and lose, grieves equally.
That tells me'how faire thou art: Thou art so faire, 15
As, _gods_, when _gods_ to thee I doe compare,
Are grac'd thereby; And to make blinde men see,
What things _gods_ are, I say they'are like to thee.
For, if we justly call each silly _man_
A _litle world_, What shall we call thee than? 20
Thou art not soft, and cleare, and strait, and faire,
As _Down_, as _Stars_, _Cedars_, and _Lillies_ are,
But thy right hand, and cheek, and eye, only
Are like thy other hand, and cheek, and eye.
Such was my _Phao_ awhile, but shall be never, 25
As thou, wast, art, and, oh, maist be ever.
Here lovers sweare in their _Idolatrie_,
That I am such; but _Griefe_ discolors me.
And yet I grieve the lesse, least _Griefe_ remove
My beauty, and make me'unworthy of thy love. 30
Plaies some soft boy with thee, oh there wants yet
A mutuall feeling which should sweeten it.
His chinne, a thorny hairy unevennesse
Doth threaten, and some daily change possesse.
Thy body is a naturall _Paradise_, 35
In whose selfe, unmanur'd, all pleasure lies,
Nor needs _perfection_; why shouldst thou than
Admit the tillage of a harsh rough man?
Men leave behinde them that which their sin showes,
And are as theeves trac'd, which rob when it snows. 40
But of our dallyance no more signes there are,
Then _fishes_ leave in streames, or _Birds_ in aire.
And betweene us all sweetnesse may be had;
All, all that _Nature_ yields, or _Art_ can adde.
My two lips, eyes, thighs, differ from thy two, 45
But so, as thine from one another doe;
And, oh, no more; the likenesse being such,
Why should they not alike in all parts touch?
Hand to strange hand, lippe to lippe none denies;
Why should they brest to brest, or thighs to thighs? 50
Likenesse begets such strange selfe flatterie,
That touching my selfe, all seemes done to thee.
My selfe I embrace, and mine owne hands I kisse,
And amorously thanke my selfe for this.
Me, in my glasse, I call thee; But alas, 55
When I would kisse, teares dimme mine _eyes_, and _glasse_.
O cure this loving madnesse, and restore
Me to mee; thee, my _halfe_, my _all_, my _more_.
So may thy cheekes red outweare scarlet dye,
And their white, whitenesse of the _Galaxy_, 60
So may thy mighty, amazing beauty move
_Envy_'in all _women_, and in all _men_, _love_,
And so be _change_, and _sicknesse_, farre from thee,
As thou by comming neere, keep'st them from me.
[Heroicall Epistle.] _In 1633_ Sapho to Philaenis _follows
Basse's_ Epitaph upon Shakespeare, _and precedes_ The
Annuntiation and Passion. _In 1635 it was placed with some
other miscellaneous and dubious poems among the_ Letters to
severall Personages, _where it has appeared in all subsequent
editions. I have transferred it to the neighbourhood of
the_ Elegies _and given it the title which seems to describe
exactly the genre to which it belongs. In JC it is entitled_
Elegie 18_th._ _The other MSS. are A18, A25, O'F, N, P, TCC,
TCD. In A25, JC, and P, ll. 31-54 are omitted_]
[2 have? _1650-69:_ have, _1633-39_]
[3 workes, _1633-39:_ worke, _1650-69_, _O'F_]
[8 maker, _1635-69:_ maker; _1633_]
[17 thereby; And _1635-69:_ thereby. And _1633_, _some
copies_]
[22 As _Down_, _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_, _TC:_ As dowves _P:_ As
downs _O'F_. _See note_
_Cedars_,] as Cedars, _A18_, _N_, _O'F_, _TC_]
[26 maist be ever. _1633_, _A18_, _A25_, _N_, _TC:_ maist thou
be ever. _1635-69_, _O'F:_ shalt be for ever. _P:_ mayst thou
be for ever. _JC_]
[33 thorny hairy _1633-69:_ thorney-hairy _TCD:_ thorny, hairy
_modern edd._]
[40 are _Ed:_ are, _1633-69_]
[58 me to mee; thee, _1635-69_, _A18_, _A25_, _JC_, _N_, _P_,
_TC_ (_generally_ mee, _in MSS.:_) me to mee; shee, _1633:_ me
to thee, thee _Chambers_
_halfe_,] harte _A25_, _JC_, _P_]
[59-60
So may thy cheekes outweare all scarlet dye
May blisse and thee be one eternallye _P:_ _om. JC_
]
[61 mighty, amazing _Ed:_ mighty amazing _1633-69:_ almighty
amazing _P_]